


Social Masks

by anonalece



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Regency, F/M, Regency Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 11:34:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3118637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonalece/pseuds/anonalece
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everlark in disguise.</p><p>Originally written for the Everlark Drabble Challenge on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Social Masks

**Author's Note:**

> I intend to revisit this universe at some point in the future. Probably not for a while because I have other WIPs, but I thought I'd put it out there just the same. Enjoy!

As the pair of sleek grays pulled the carriage through the darkened streets of London, Katniss wondered again at the point of it all. Over the last few months one thing had become abundantly clear: the marriage mart was not meant for the likes of her. Not only was she bored to death on the nightly circuit of balls and various entertainments, the fashionable at-homes held during the early afternoons were even worse. At least there was some exercise to be had in the evenings whereas during the day she was forced to attend to conversation centered around ladylike accomplishments that were more to her sister Prim’s taste than her own. Unable to contribute anything useful to the drawing room conversation, she usually busied herself with her tea and kept her mouth shut. Evenings were only marginally better given that while dancing much of the conversation was prescribed and required little to no concentration for her to pass muster. Wherein every other aspect of life amongst high society left her under the intense scrutiny of she had never been criticized for holding her tongue.

 

Despite Madge’s well intentioned maiden aunt’s somewhat incongruous assertion that making a good marriage was paramount to a woman’s happiness in life, Katniss didn’t approve of tricking a man into marrying you. Somehow shackling someone to you for life without letting him truly know you didn’t seem fair to her. In fact, it sounded like a recipe that would result in unhappiness for both parties. However, when she had pointed this out to Euphemia, she had blithely told Katniss that being comfortably situated helped make up for those sorts of things as though she should be relied upon to know these things despite having never been married herself. 

 

Unfortunately, since being introduced to society, Katniss had seen far too many couples who embodied the fashionable sentiment. Each member carrying on with their primarily separate lives after their union whilst accepting the comfort that came from having a partner to support them through the social mores of the ton. She supposed her jaundiced view of society marriages was a result of spending her formative years seeing the love and devotion that existed between her parents. Growing up, her parents had always emphasized the importance of familial love despite their being cutoff from their own families as a result of their love match. Despite being forced to reside in a sparse cottage with little in the way of material possessions, the Everdeens had never felt poor because they had been blessed in more important ways. 

 

It wasn’t until after the accident, when she had become the head of their family by a cruel twist of fate, that Katniss had been made brutally aware that the practicalities of life could not be overlooked. Despite maintaining a happy home, her parents had shielded her from their financial straits which is how she found herself in the capitol in the first place. Although neither of their parent’s families had responded to her missives, the Undersees, the family who held a local ducal seat, had been far more compassionate.They had engaged Katniss as companion for their only daughter and gone so far as to include room and board for both herself and her younger sister, Primrose, as part of her wages. Shortly after the new year, when the time came for Madge to return to London to prepare for the impending season, it had been decided that Katniss should accompany her while her sister was to remain to behind to provide company for her friend’s sickly mother while the older girls would be accompanied to London with her aunt playing the role of chaperone. 

 

Beholden to them for saving them from destitution, Katniss had allowed herself to be polished and packaged until she could be presented alongside their daughter as the daughter of a gentleman and a distant cousin of her mother’s without requiring the need for a more detailed backstory. It felt like her skin had been scrubbed raw and her hair felt like it was being ripped from her head, but tonight she had left the proper persona of genteel lady behind at the Undersee’s townhouse in Mayfair because tonight the Mellarks were hosting their annual masque ball. It had been the talk of the town for weeks, everyone who was anyone would be there and although most of them would know each other despite the material that would be obscuring their features, apparently the whole point of the evening was to pretend to to be someone else. Or in her case, finally being able to be herself.

 

“Most people will know who you are, of course, but the masks allow everyone to pretend otherwise,” Effie had effused when Katniss had asked what the evening would entail. At the time Katniss had judged it best not to express her incredulity at the notion and she was glad of that now. By not questioning the pretense under which they were to spend the evening, she had managed to avoid being told in great detail and at great length the part she was expected to play which meant she could claim ignorance should their overly enthusiastic chaperone discover Katniss had traded the mask she habitually wore among society for the one currently resting on her face.

 

Unlike typical balls tonight’s, there was no footman to announce them when they arrived. Guests entered the ballroom and melted seamlessly into the crush of people. No sooner had Katniss finished her descent than she was mobbed by a crowd of gentleman all vying for the hand of the fetching newcomer. Before she could determine the identities behind the masks and decide if it was safe to accept any of their offers to partner her in the next dance, a voice spoke from just beside her. 

 

“My claim is first, I think.”

 

Katniss turned to view the man who stood at her left elbow, at the sound of his voice her breath had trapped somewhere between her lungs and her throat. As Katniss took in the exquisitely garbed, broad-shouldered form at her side, his golden hair falling in soft waves around the dark mask he wore wherein lay his blue, blue eyes whose gaze was fixed unerringly on her face. Even if his eyes or his voice had not been enough to clearly identify him, her senses were screaming it. 

 

“Of course, my lord,” she said, placing her hand on his proffered arm and allowing him to lead her onto the floor. Despite her outward calm, Katniss was neither sure how to interpret the hostess’ youngest son singling her out so pointedly upon her arrival nor what to make of her body’s betrayal that allowed him to draw her near and effortlessly melt into the melee on the dance floor.

 


End file.
